LSU Athletic Foundation Approves Plans To Expand South End Of Tiger Stadium

Tiger Stadium would grow by 6,940 seats to a total capacity of nearly 99,500

LSU AD Joe Alleva said Monday that plans for a south end zone expansion of Tiger Stadium "have cleared their first hurdle ... with unanimous approval last week by the Tiger Athletic Foundation board to proceed with the project," according to Scott Rabalais of the Baton Rouge ADVOCATE. Alleva said that the plan "calls for building what will essentially be a freestanding structure that will wrap around the south end of Tiger Stadium and connect the existing east and west upper decks." He said that the addition would include "a lower level containing 4,000 club seats, two levels of suites totaling 60 in all with seating for 24 people in each, and a 1,500-seat upper deck topping the entire addition." If the expansion "goes as Alleva described, Tiger Stadium would grow by 6,940 seats to a total capacity of nearly 99,500." That would make Tiger Stadium the "seventh-largest facility in the country." Alleva: "I don’t know when we would put the first shovel in the ground, but I’d love to have it available to use for the 2014 season. That will take some hustle to have all the approvals in place for then, so hopefully 2015 for sure." Alleva "did not divulge a total projected cost for the project, but said LSU and TAF officials are confident the project will pay for itself." This would be the "third major expansion of Tiger Stadium, which first opened in 1924, in the past two decades." Alleva said that the trigger for the south stadium expansion plans "was the discussion over what to do about replacing the large scoreboard above the south end zone." He added that instead of replacing it where the current scoreboard sits, LSU "will put in two large video boards in the corners above the existing south end zone stands." He also noted that they will be "similar to ones in the corners of Bryant-Denny Stadium but larger" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 2/28).

PRIORITY SEATING: In Detroit, Eric Lacy notes less than a week after the Univ. of Michigan men's basketball team finished 15-1 at the renovated Crisler Center, athletic department officials "unveiled a seat-reconfiguration plan designed to give priority seating privileges to longtime season-ticket holders and donors." Season-ticket holders "will have to pay anywhere from $50-$7,500 per seat in what athletic department officials call a 'personal seat donation' to secure their spot for the 2012-13 season and earn points for priority seating." Season-ticket holders will be "awarded one priority point for each year of consecutive ticket purchases" dating to '92-93 (DETROIT NEWS, 2/29).